Assembly Proceedings, April — May 1666. 139

An Act for building a Prison at St. Maries.

Forasmuch as due Respect to the Governm^t is not given for
want of Prisons to restrain Offenders, and persons indebted
take noe care for discharging their debts for the same reason
Bee it Enacted that there be foure acres of land neerest about
the Spring on the East side of St. Maries feild be alotted to
build a prison vpon and that there be tenn thousand pounds
of tob. raysed out of the province this next ensueing crop to be
laid out vpon building a prison vpon the aforesaid foure acres of
land And in Regard Raymond Staplefort hath undertaken to
build thes sayd prison vpon condicon he may be keeper of the
said prison during life Bee it further Enacted that the said
Raymond Staplefort have the said tenn thousand pounds of
tob. payd vnto him he giving Sufficient Security that the said
prison shall be well and sufficiently built at St. Maryes some-
tyme before the 23^th of Aprill 1667 and that he provide Irone
and all other necessaries for the restraining and safe keeping
offenders and that then he have a patent vnder the great Seale
of this Province to be Keeper of the said Prison for and during
the terme of his Naturall Life. And for the further Encouragm^t
of him the said Staplefort to build the Prison aforesaid soe
necessary for the Adm^con of Justice be it further Enacted that all
Criminalls accused of any offence whatsoever in any part of this
Province the Punishm^t of which cann any way touch the person
accused in his life or member & not Bayleable by the Law of
England shall be by the Justice or Justices of peace before
whom he is accused imediately sent by Mittimus to the Prison
at S^t Maries there to be kept in safe custody till he shall thence
be delivered by due Order of Law And for the better Re-
covering of debts & deterring of Riotous psons who contract
debts out of a confidence of an Impunity of their persons
Bee itt also Enacted that every person which shall be taken in
Execucon from and after the 23^th of Aprill 1667 for any debt
or damage recovered in any Court of this province and shall not
within eight days after his soe being taken in Execucon Satisfye
the party or partys at whose Suite he was taken in Execucon
shall by the Respective Sherriffes of the Severall Countys be
brought down to the Prison at S? Maries & delivered to the
Keeper of the said prison for the time being who from that
time of his Delivery shall have all such Fees allowed him for
Imprisonm^t of Such Offenders respectively as the Sherriffs of
the Severall Countyes hithertoe have had and Enjoyed or shall
hereafter be lymitted and appoynted to such Sherriffs Provided
alwaies that if any other County w|U be att the charge of a
prison within their owne County for the Effectuall restraint of
debtors the prisoners of such Countys for any thing not con-

P. R. O.

Colonial En-
try Book
No. 53